Compass No. 607 May 2021

From the Principal

Celebrating Our Mothers

It has been a delight this week to watch children excitedly prepare cards, letters of appreciation and purchase gifts for their mums. A deep sense of joy has flowed through young people as they have proudly prepared their different ways of expressing love for their mums. Mums play a special role throughout their children’s lives and within our community. Every day is a good day to reflect on the many ways in which our mums give or have given of themselves and their time to help us grow and experience life richly within our families and the Pacific and broader community.

We hope that this Sunday is one filled with joy and love for all of our mums. As a community we also say thank you to our mums and women for their support of this community through the nurturing and guidance of children and very significant contributions to enhancing our community. Women, as staff and parents have given generously and used their tremendous talents to shape a rich culture that exemplifies humility in service. Thank you and we pray that God would bless, enrich and encourage you all.

Principal’s Log

The Mother’s Day stall has traditionally been a calendar highlight as young people enjoy the opportunity to independently purchase their secret gift for mum. The sight of our Mother’s Day stall in operation was a reminder of how blessed we are to live in a country where we have been able to return to more normal routines. Thank you to our Friends of Pacific team capably led by Mrs Teena Thompson, Mrs Sanet Strong and the Year 5 parents and Student Leaders for the preparation and running of this year’s Mother’s Day stall at the College. 

The month of May is one where we also traditionally have had the opportunity to support people within the Caloundra community through the Red Shield Appeal. Salvation Army member Mrs Karen Clark expressed her appreciation to our community at this week’s Senior and Middle College assembly as she invited support for this year’s Red Shield Appeal which will not include the traditional door knock. Later this month families will have the opportunity to donate non-perishable items and financially through the College. We look forward to being able to continue to strongly support the needs of people within our local community in this way.

We look forward to welcoming Mrs Belinda Till as the new Community Liaison and Communications Coordinator next Monday.  Mrs Till has had extensive corporate and government communications experience and we look forward to her adding to our community connection. We have also advertised for a College Chaplain this week. The Chaplain will have a primary focus on connecting with and supporting our youth. We look forward to the benefits that this role will bring to enhancing student wellbeing.

As a community we celebrated with past staff member Mrs Jacqui Layfield as she was installed as the Principal of Luther College in Melbourne. Jacqui is the fourth member of the Pacific staff who has grown to become a Lutheran College Principal in Australia. Mrs Layfield was very appreciative of her time here at the College and we were delighted to be able to send greetings on behalf of our community and be represented by Mrs Cox and past staff at the service.

We look forward to celebrating our Open Day on Sunday May the 16th. Families are invited to attend and bring along friends from the broader community who may be interested in a Pacific education. It is a great opportunity for our existing and new families to grow in their understanding of how learning and opportunity have and continue to evolve at the College.

Families are reminded that we commence Winter Uniform next Monday May 10th.

We say a prayer of thanks for the important role that women have played as mothers and through their generous use of their talents to serve and enrich this and the broader community.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal

Important Notices

Winter Uniform Commencing Monday 10th May

The winter uniform will commence on Monday 10th May. As a reminder, the winter uniform consists of:

Middle College

  • Males – Summer uniform with College tie and hat.
  • Females – No change to summer uniform.

Senior College

  • Males – Long pants with belt and navy short socks, College shirt, tie, blazer and hat.
  • Females – Summer uniform with College blazer and hat. Navy or skin coloured stockings may be worn. Stockings are not to be worn with the sports uniform.

The full winter uniform including blazers and formal hat is to be worn to and from school every day other than SCISSA sport days.

The following are provided as general reminders to assist families in supporting their young people to maintain a high standard of presentation:

  • The formal jumper may only be worn with the day uniform (not worn with the sports uniform, nor the sports jacket worn with the day uniform).
  • Female students may wear stockings at any time of the year with their formal uniform. When wearing stockings, no socks are to be worn.
  • Female dresses should always be approximately knee length. Families are asked to maintain a check on this as girls grow rather than waiting for reminders to be sent from the College.

All uniform items are available from the College’s Uniform Shop or online at: https://www.flexischools.com.au/.

From the College Pastor

Humility

Humility is the noble choice to forgo your status, deploy your resources or use your influence for the good of others before yourself. More simply, you could say the humble person is marked by a willingness to hold power in the service of others.

John Dickson

 

Humility is popularly viewed as putting oneself down or acting in a lowly way. A humble person is often seen as being reserved, quiet, or even weak. This was certainly the case in the time of Jesus and the first Christians. Honour and shame was the way the ancient world, especially the Roman world, operated. A person’s life revolved around their dignity, their respect before others and the community. A person and family’s reputation was of the utmost importance. Lowering oneself to the behaviour of a slave or other lower social classes was a sign of weakness. Jesus and the early Christians revolutionised this societal view and turned humility into a positive virtue that has found its way into broader western culture.

As a Christian school, we understand humility as first presupposing a person’s dignity. Humility is not about having low esteem or being a door-mat for others. Second, humility is willing. It is a choice. Otherwise, it is humiliation. And third, humility is social. It is not a private act. It is not the same as modesty. Humility is about redirecting your powers, whether physical, intellectual, financial, or structural, for the sake of others. Humility is more about how I treat others than how I think about myself. This is core to Christian thinking. C.S. Lewis gives this sage advice about cultivating humility; If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell them the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too…nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed. A humble person is aware of the pride that lives inside of them and looks to the power of God to change them and give them strength. The New Testament letter of James (4:10) puts it this way; Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 

 

A prayer to be people of humility…

Lord Jesus, free me from all my pride, selfishness, troubles and insecurities today so that I can put the needs of others before myself and serve with humility. In your name, we pray. Amen.

 

Pastor Tim Jarick, College Pastor

From the Director of Students

Parents are Angels

I am confident that the title of my article will evoke a range of emotions for you as individuals regardless of your age, gender, or life experiences. Luther is credited with stating, “When God wants to speak with us, he does not avail himself of an angel but of parents.” pbs.org. Luther’s parents had great hopes for his future as a lawyer and were not particularly thrilled that he had turned his back on this line of work, and as the saying goes, ‘the rest is history.’ We know little about Margarette, Luther’s mother, however what we do know is she was strict. Closer to home we celebrate our mothers and mother figures in our lives this Sunday. It is an opportunity to consider their place in our lives and recall the memories that make up the tapestry of our relationship with them. I wish all mothers a wonderful day and encourage all of our young people to think creatively of how they might celebrate this day.

Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal

I thank Mrs Karen Clark for attending our College assembly this week to speak on behalf of the Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal. Mrs Clark gave a clear message to all present, that we each have an important role to play in supporting those less fortunate in our community. Traditionally we have taken part in the Door Knock Appeal, however, specifically this year and for the month of May we will be supporting the Salvation Army by requesting families kindly donate non-perishable food, household and personal items as well as offering families the opportunity to donate financially.

Year 6 Reading Groups

 I was delighted to be able to witness the students in small groups read and analyse various stories last Friday afternoon. Based on the genre of suspense, a variety of stories dealt with this theme in a slightly different way. What really caught my attention was the capacity of the students to articulate what they were thinking about as they began reading. Utilising the thinking routine, Claim, Support, Question, students were challenged to propose what the story might be about. It struck me just how powerful words can be when crafted into a piece of creative writing. Moreover, the small size of each group led by a member of staff, allowed for a great deal of inquiry and learning to take place. I thank the many staff who were involved in this valuable learning experience.

Open Day

The College Open Day falls on Sunday 16th May and I encourage all Middle and Senior College students to volunteer their services. This may be as a tour guide, a faculty helper, or both. The day will commence at 12.30pm and conclude at 3.30pm. The following link will allow students to register as volunteer tour guides. I thank in advance all students who might be able to assist on the day to showcase the amazing school they help to create.

 

Mr Ben Ryan, Director of Students

From the Head of Staff and Students P-5

Walk Safely to School Day

Next week the college is proud to support a Federal government initiative by supporting Walk Safely to School Day. National Walk Safely to School Day (WSTSD) is on Friday 14th May 2021. Now in its 22nd year, the annual campaign encourages all primary school children, their parents and carers to walk safely and regularly to school. The event seeks to promote road safety, health, public transport and the environment. Australian children are becoming less active.

One substantial contributor is the decline in walking and/or taking public transport to school. Children who are regularly physically active are healthier, perform better academically and are less likely to be obese or overweight. Sedentary behaviour can lead to long-term and costly risks of illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. Walking regularly is the best exercise because you can build it into your daily routine.

The objectives of the National Walk Safely to School Day are:

  • To encourage parents and carers to walk to school with primary school age children
  • To promote the health benefits of walking and create regular walking habits
  • To help children develop vital road crossing skills and ensure children up to the age of 10 years hold an adult's hand when crossing the road
  • To reduce car dependency and traffic congestion
  • To reduce the level of air pollution created by motor vehicles
  • To promote the use of public transport

Detailed information on how to participate is at walk.com.au.

If you feel you live too far away to walk from home, then meet at Oakdale Park, in Oakdale Circuit, Currimundi and join us for a short 850m walk from there. Staff will be there to meet you at 8am, for an 8:05 departure. To ensure the safety of our students, we ask that children are accompanied by a parent / carer where possible.

 Chess

Congratulations to those students from Years 4 and 5 who represented the College at the SCIPHA Chess tournament which was held at Suncoast Christian College on Friday April 30th . The competition was open in two categories; Open and Novice. Our teams performed very well and most importantly, had a great day mingling and learning from other chess enthusiasts. Thank you to Mrs. Amanda Empson for her organisation and supervision on the day.

Gawun

This term has seen the beginning of a new service leadership model in Year 5. As mentioned previously, the Year 5 students were passionate about being of service in many areas of the College. Our leaders are easily identifiable with their high-vis vests on and are making a real impact in our College. Our leaders have been busy helping students enter the College from the Foundation carpark, supporting readers, and helping in the playground and the library spaces. In addition to this, two separate groups of students are involved with an excellent council run program, Kid’s in Action and another are busy addressing issues around the environment and providing guidance with waste in the local context. I thank the dedication and enthusiasm of the students and staff in Year 5. Their passion for service is making a huge impact for other Junior Students and they are learning a lot about themselves in the process.

Parent connectors

Thank you to many parents and guardians who have expressed interest in becoming a parent connector within the college. We have kept expressions open for another week to allow more access for those who may want to get involved. Please follow the link Parent connectors and enter your details.

Outdoor Education

I look forward to attending the Year 4 Outdoor Education next week. I thank Ms Kim Wood and the many staff involved in the preparation of this rich experience for our students. I look forward to sharing the highlights on my return. Take care and God bless.

 

Mr Damian Davis, Head of Staff and Students P-5

Food for Thought

This Month on SchoolTV - Raising Girls

Raising girls in today’s modern world can be a difficult path for parents and carers to navigate. These days, girls are transitioning to puberty a lot earlier than they used to and the physical, psychological and emotional changes they experience are challenging. As a result, by mid-adolescence, girls are twice as likely to develop mood disorders more so than boys.

Some parents and carers may feel uncertain about how best to support their daughter through the ups and downs of adolescence and how to keep the lines of communication open. With the rise of social media and technology, mental health difficulties in girls are increasing as they are often faced with online images that make it difficult to see themselves as acceptable. Ensuring a daughter’s opinions are heard and her views listened to, will go a long way towards making her feel loved, confident and supported as she tries to establish her own identity.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will attain a clearer picture of what girls are wanting from their adult carers and how best to support them through adolescence. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to this month's edition https://pacificlutheran.qld.schooltv.me/newsletter/raising-girls

Workshop

HeadStart Psychology is holding a half day workshop ‘A Girls’ Guide to Making Good Decisions’, Saturday 22nd May. Please see the attached flyer for more detail.

Mrs Annie Williams College Counsellor

Friends of Pacific

Mother's Day

We offer our thanks to all who have supported the FoP Mother’s Day Shopping Experience Stall. We hope the students have enjoyed the opportunity to purchase a gift, as an expression of the love and gratitude they have for their mums. 
We gratefully acknowledge Mrs Teena Thompson and Mrs Sanet Strong for their time, energy and creativity in preparing the gifts for selection, along with our wonderful Year 5 parents, as hosts of the Prep – Year 5 Stall, and Student Leaders, for their support of the Year 6-12 Stall, so that we can honour and celebrate the wonderful mothers who contribute to our Pacific community. 
Thank you also to our Prep to Year 5 teachers who walked their class groups over to the stall. Our Early Learning Centre Reception and Wellbeing Centre will still have gifts on display available for purchase until Friday afternoon.

Next meeting 

Our next Friends of Pacific meeting will be held on Tuesday 18 May from 6.30pm in the College Library.
All welcome to attend!

 

Click here to follow our Friends of Pacific Facebook page.

Mrs Jenny Lee, Friends of Pacific Chairperson

Library News

Mothers’ Day Activities in the Library

This week our primary students painted a plaque for mum and attached magnets to the back so it could be displayed on the fridge. Our secondary students also got creative with paint – decorating terracotta flower pots for mum.

National Simultaneous Story Time… from Space
This year National Simultaneous Story Time will be coming live from the International Space Station. This year’s book, Give me Some Space by Philip Bunting, will be read by NASA astronaut Dr Shannon Walker. Students from Kindy to Year 5 will have the opportunity to watch on the big screen in the gym. To celebrate, the library will be running a series of space-themed lunchtime activities over the next two weeks. Students will have the opportunity to make rockets, create a Mars helicopter, make art works of stars, moons and galaxies and explore space via virtual reality.

The Pacific Library Team

College News

Bus Fare Assistance Program (BFAP)

Applications for Semester 1, 2021 are now open online and close on 31 May 2021.

Please visit the School Transport website (https://www.schooltransport.com.au/) to check if you are eligible.

School Photos Tuesday 25th May 2021
School photographs are scheduled to be taken by Advancedlife, Tuesday 25th May 2021. An order envelope has been distributed this week. If possible, it is our preference that ordering be completed online to reduce administration and potential security issues related to the return of cash and envelopes on photo day. Parents who place their order online DO NOT need to return the order envelope.

Orders for packages and sibling photographs can be placed securely online at www.advancedlife.com.au using our school’s unique 9 digit advanced order code. Portrait and group package orders are due by photography day.

Should you wish to purchase a sibling photograph online, the order must be placed no later than the day before photography day. Sibling photographs will only be taken if an order has been placed.

Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please contact us at www.advancedlife.com.au/contact.

Miss Carolyn Sainty, Administrative Executive Secretary

Cultural News

Grease - Save the Date

 

THREE SHOWS SOLD OUT!

FINAL TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR THE FRIDAY 21ST MATINEE - 12PM 

DON'T MISS OUT

'GREASE" IS THE WORD!

Tickets will be available online at: www.theeventscentre.com.au or Phone 54914240.

Mrs Janine Delaney, Director

Sport News

Junior Sport News

3-6 Independent District Cross Country Carnival

Students travelled to The Big Pineapple on Tuesday for the Independent District Cross Country Carnival. The course is a true cross-country test with students having to navigate numerous hills and rainforest with a testing finish up heartbreak hill, a steady 300m run up through the trees to the finish line.

 

With up to 50 runners in each race, the competition on the day was tough. Well done to the following students who had top finishes in the age group:

  • Scarlett van den Hurk – 3rd place, 9 years girls
  •  Vivienne Padwick – 7th place, 9 years girls
  • Tara McFadden – 10th place, 10 years girls
  • Mae Clarke – 7th place, 11 years girls
  • Abby Novosel – 3rd place, 12 years girls
  • Aiden Booker – 10th place, 10 years boys

At the end of the carnival, PLC finished in 4th place out of the 10 competing schools which was a fantastic result for the team. Thanks to Mrs Kiernan and Mrs Campbell who assisted on the day.

3-6 Athletics Carnival Important Dates

Students in Year 3-6 are now moving into preparing for the upcoming athletics season during Physical Education lessons. Below are some important dates this term for our Athletics season:

Discus Event – Thursday 20th May, Week 5 (students to complete during school time 1:40 – 3:00pm)

Athletics Carnival – Thursday 3rd June (University of the Sunshine Coast, USC)

Prior to the carnival, students will also nominate whether they would like to run in competitive or non-competitive track events.

Spectators will be welcome to attend the carnival out at USC but will need to remain outside the competitive area whilst spectating.

P-2 Cross Country Carnival

The Prep – Year 2 Cross Country carnival will be held at the end of this term on Wednesday 23rd June (Week 10). Students are beginning to practice for this event during Physical Education lessons. Due to construction of the Primary building, this year’s carnival will be held down on the Meridan AFL fields which are adjacent to the PLC ovals.

Parents and spectators will be welcome to attend the carnival.

T20 Cricket

“How’s that?”, arms up and screams of joy cried across Caloundra on Tuesday. The PLC Intermediate T20 Cricket squad had a successful day playing two T20 games against Sunshine Coast Grammar and Caloundra State College this week. Participation, involvement and ‘having a go’ was the main aim of the day and every student had an opportunity to field, bat or bowl.

Results:

SCGS 84 (17.3 overs) Def PLC 83

PLC 133 Def Caloundra 85

Some highlights were:

  • Angus Friend’s spectacular 6 wickets for the day
  • Harmanjit Dahiya’s strong batting 40 and 29 not out
  • Logan Pohlner’s magnificent 50
  • Team Hattrick
  • Jacques Florent almost hattrick (3 wickets in one game)

PLC can be very proud of their performance and their efforts and successes. Congratulations to those who participated.

          

Mr Darren Hooper, Head of Junior Sport

Senior Sport News

Competitive Sport Results - SCISSA Sport Report

A big congratulations to the Open Girls SCISSA Volleyball B Team for their first win of the season! It was a fantastic game that went all the way to a tie breaker set. Well done girls! Some hard fought games by the Open Boys and Open Girls A saw these teams go down in tight contests.

Congratulations to the following students for being awarded MVP this week:

  • Yasmin Richters
  • Storm Sawyer
  • Connor Dines

ISSA Soccer

It was a strong effort from our U14 Boys for their first ISSA Soccer game against Grace Caboolture. For a team that had not played together before, our boys did exceptionally well and held a lead for most of the game. Unfortunatley towards the end of the game, some quick goals by the opposition saw the team lose 4-2. There is great potential in the playing group and we look forward to seeing their progress over the next few fixtures.

All the best to the Uhlsport Boys and Girls who will play tomorrow during Friday Sport time against Grace Rothwell.

Cross Country Follow Up

Congratulations to the following students who had podium finishes from our Inter-House Cross Country.

 

12 yrs

13 yrs

14 yrs

15 yrs

16 yrs

Opens

Boys

Cruze Francis

Carter Kienan

Monty Palmer

Charlie Schefe

Ryder Sewell

Jude Michel-Power

Sam Princehorn

Tas Chamberlain

Riley Shortland

Logan Pohlner

Charlie Garland

Lachlan Woodward

Cooper Johnson

Charles Box

Lachlan Whincop

Liam Russell

Seb Moye

Niels Whiteley

Girls

Emily Lengenberg

Orly Sillar

Eva Carey

Zoe Woods

Gracie Maurer

Alice Garland

Chloe Mitchell

Kate Williams

Evie Sillar

Zara Richters

Macey Winter

Katie Graves

Chantelle Page

Evy Gover

Ainslie Colton

Alicia Woods

Yasmin Richters

Kaitlyn Brown

 

District Cross Country

A BIG thank you to the Yr 7-12 students who came to the District Cross Country to represent our college. We had fantastic numbers for our team (50 students!) and all students performed admirably. While we took out 6th place in the Secondary Carnival, there was only 30 points between 6th and 3rd place, so there is definitely something for us to build on for next year. Special mentions go to Alicia Woods for her 1st Place in the 17yrs Girls race, and to Imogen Hiley for her 2nd Place in the 16 Yrs Girls Race. These students will represent the Independent District in the Sunshine Coast Trials.

Well done also to students below for making it into the top ten within their age divisions.

  • Charlie Schefe
  • Zara Richters
  • Macey Winter
  • Maggie Princehorn
  • Kaitlin Brown

Student Recognition

Congratulations to Lennon Biggs for his selection in the 10-12 Yrs Sunshine Coast Soccer Team.

Mr Cameron West-McInnes, Head of Sport

Uniform Shop

Winter Uniforms
Winter is nearly upon us and it is time for Jumpers and Jackets.

The Uniform Shop currently has a full range of Formal Jumpers in stock for Year 1-12 students. Currently Sports Jackets for Prep – Year 12 are in stock in sizes 4 and 8-14 as well as L-XXL. All other sizes in Sports Jackets are on order. They will be available for order on FlexiSchools once the stock arrives in store, so please keep an eye on the website.

Trousers for all Year 10-12 students are available in store and online for the Winter Uniform. A reminder that blazers are a requirement for Years 10-12 as part of the Winter Uniform.

If you need to come into the Uniform Shop for a fitting, please ensure you make an appointment by calling the Main Reception on 5436 7300. The Uniform Shop hours are Wednesday to Friday (term time) from 8.00am – 10.00am.

Mrs Peta King, Uniform Shop Coordinator

St Mark’s Lutheran Church

Worship @ St Mark's

Sharing a common mission and ministry with Pacific Lutheran College

“Growing in faith and sharing God’s love with others”

Weekly worship services are held at 14 Bombala Terrace Caloundra at 8.30am and 9.30am. We are thankful that we are able to meet together each week for worship. As we do this, there are still physical distancing, signing in, and hygiene requirements we need to follow in order to ensure the health and safety of everyone in our community.

Our worship services are intergenerational with a blend of traditional and contemporary.

You’re welcome to follow us on Facebook and visit our Church webpage.

All are welcome at any of our services.

Pastor Ray Morris, St Mark’s Lutheran Church (0429 856 532 or lutherancaloundra@gmail.com)

Upcoming Dates

May
10                        Trimester 2 Commences

                            Year 4-6 SCISSA Training

11-13                  NAPLAN

12-14                  Year 4 Outdoor Education Program - Mapleton

14                        Junior Trish Buckley Volleyball

16                        Open Day

17                        SCISSA Training

18                        Friends of Pacific (6.30pm)

27                        Under Eights Morning

21-22                  Senior College Musical - ‘Grease’

27                        Year 4-6 SCISSA Trial Game - GSLC

28                        Caloundra Show Holiday

31                        Year 4-6 SCISSA Training